Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Awesome Destination: Dalyan, Turkey


The Charming town of Dalyan in Turkey has something to suit everyone.


The town itself is situated on a beautiful river that gently meanders along the entire length of the town. 

With its alfresco restaurants, tasty dishes, guaranteed sunshine and long warm Mediterranean evenings, it really does make an ideal hotspot. The town has plenty of bars, restaurants and cafes for you to sample the local dishes, some of which overlook the amazing Rock Tombs that are situated just across the river.

The cuisine is fresh and delicious; take the time out to try as many mezes as you can, so you can get a real varied taste. The salads are fresh and flavoursome and they specialise in slow cooked lamb, which you need to order in advance, as the chefs cook it slowly all day.There are many boats that sail along the river, all of which you can organise a boat trip with. The boat trips can take you to the famous Iztuzu Beach, Kaunos, to the lake to do bird watching, to go fishing or you can even rent a private boat out with your family for a day of relaxing swimming in the lake, with a BBQ to finish.

There are plenty of places nearby to visit such as Kaunos the ancient city which is located just across the river. At Kaunos you can see the ruins of the city that existed there thousands of years ago; you can see the Theatre, Church, City Walls, Baths, Harbour plus many more structures are being excavated all the time.  There is also a fantastic view from above of the enchanting town of Dalyan below. The nearby mud baths and hot springs are a must to visit. The natural mud has healing properties and can help you with certain ailments. Take a trip by boat to the mud baths and experience the rejuvenating effect the mud has on your skin, lather the mud on yourself, let in dry in the sun, wash it off and then venture into the hot spring where you can sit in naturally heated water that is always bubbling - the experience is great and not to be missed.

Iztuzu Beach is a short bus ride or boat trip away and is a natural beauty. The sandbar is 7km long and has the benefit of having the fresh water from the river on one side of the sandbar and the Mediterranean Sea on the other side, so you swim in which ever side takes your fancy! Iztuzu Beach is also known as Turtle Beach, it is a protected area as it is one of the last breeding places of the endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtles.

There are plenty of places to stay in Dalyan, the accommodation is made up of; pensions, hotels, villas and apartments. Most people opt to stay in private accommodation as they can come and go as they please without the worry of cleaning maids coming and going and they feel they can really chill out and relax. The private accommodation always has a garden and swimming pool and there are plenty of rental properties to choose from.

Dalyan is one of those places that if you visit once, you will keep returning back - there is a sort of magical spell that takes over you and makes you completely and utterly captivated with Dalyan.

Written by Guest Writer, Kim Kashmere, who is an expat and pet columnist. Kim is a partner of Come to Dalyan, a website offering private rental accommodation in Dalyan, Turkey. As well as writing Kim enjoys travelling, photography and walking with her husband and dogs.

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